Southwest China's Yunnan Province has earmarked 200 million yuan (US$24.1 million) for relief and reconstruction in the earthquake-hit areas in the province.

Seventy percent of the funding was for rebuilding housing, said Governor Xu Rongkai at a meeting Tuesday in Dayao County, which was struck by an earthquake on July 21 this year.

Of the total, 90 million yuan (US$10.84 million) came from the central government, 105 million yuan (US$12.65 million) from the provincial government, and the rest from donations.

The earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, jolted eight counties including Dayao, killing 16 people and injuring 110.It also resulted in the deaths of 1,508 head of livestock, the destruction of 24,000 homes and damage to 1,186,000 others.

The direct economic losses of the earthquake are estimated at 863 million yuan (US$104 million).

Xu urged local departments of civil affairs and construction to plan reconstruction based on careful investigations into the earthquake-hit areas.

He also called for new and better housing locations and designs so that earthquake victims will enjoy a notable improvement in living conditions.

Xu said the reconstruction would be finished by late 2004.